Hotspot Owners:

Do I need an existing broadband connection to operate a hotspot?
Yes, your hotspot plugs directly into your existing broadband connection. If you do not have broadband installed, please contact an internet service provider. If broadband is not available in your area then contact us to discuss
alternative options.

I already have a wireless modem, why should I run a hotspot?
Believe it or not this is how most people start off, then they start looking into a hotspot billing solution once they realise people are abusing their broadband connection and using up their monthly data cap.
Our system controls usage and billing, prevents abuse of your broadband connection, reduces your liability risk and costs.

I purchased a hotspot from you, how do I set it up?
Your hotspot can be set-up in two easy steps, simply plug in the broadband cable from your existing modem to the port labelled "Internet" or "WAN" on your hotspot, plug in the power and switch on.
If you are having trouble setting up your hotspot you can contact us for support.

How do customers/guests purchase internet access at my hotspot?
Your customers/guests can purchase internet access in two ways. They can purchase prepaid vouchers directly from you at your venue or they can purchase access directly from our website using their Visa or MasterCard.

How much does it cost customers/guests to use the internet at my hotspot?
You can charge your customers/guests any price you like when handing out vouchers, your sale price is entirely up to you. Your customers/guests can also use their credit card on our website to buy internet access. Prepaid account
top-up's cost $5.00 per 200MB with no time limits, and standard passes (one off purchases) purchased via the
login page start at $3.00 for 1hr/100MB.

How much money can I expect to make?
How long is a piece of string? This entirely depends on how busy your location is, how many people wish to access the internet, and how many vouchers you sell.

How am I paid for customers purchasing access directly via your website?
We will pay you up to 50% of the revenue generated when guests/customers purchase WiFi directly through our secure website using their credit card. This is calculated according to the megabyte usage,
for example if a customer buys an hour pass/100MB for $3.00 and uses up all their megabytes at your WiFi
zone, you will be paid $1.50. If this customer only uses half of their megabytes at your WiFi zone and the other half at another zone,
then you will be paid $0.75 and the other zone $0.75.
The same applies also to prepaid account top-up's. Revenue is paid directly into your bank account on the 20th of the month once your revenue balance reaches $20.00 or more. You can see your unpaid revenue on the Summary page after logging into the hotspot manager. You will receive an automatic email advising of any payout.

How do I print out vouchers, and which vouchers should I print?
You can print vouchers out from the "Print Vouchers" page after logging in with your operator id and selecting the zone/hotspot you wish to manage. You have a choice of vouchers with or without time limits.

What happens in regards to credit card charge backs?
We take care of any charge backs. We guarantee you any revenue generated from any online credit card transaction. If a charge back occurs due to the use of a stolen credit card we will carry the loss.

How secure is my hotspot?
All hotspots include a firewall and are locked down to stop hackers and protect wireless users. Wireless users are automatically isolated from each other, and your private network is also automatically blocked from being accessed.

Can I use my own computers/devices on my hotspot?
Of course you can; there is an option called "Add Friends", you can add any accounts here and assign them a monthly or unmetered quota as your WiFi zone
(at no cost to you). This is also useful if you have flat mates or friends/family staying and want to give them free or restricted access.

I am having trouble setting up my hotspot, what should I do?
If you haven't done so already, make sure you read and follow the instructions that came with your hotspot. The instructions are very easy to follow and there is very little that can go wrong. However we do offer support via phone,
you can phone us toll free on 0800 633 489 between the hours of 9.30am and 5.30pm, Mon - Sat, excl public holidays. Please quote your customer id; this can be found on your customer card sent with your hotspot.

What sort of range can I expect out of my hotspot?
Our wireless hotspots like most other consumer wireless products typically have an indoor range of around 30 to 50 metres and an outdoor range of up to 200 metres line of sight given ideal conditions, however this is just a rough
guide. There are many factors which come into play when determining your wireless range, for example objects/walls blocking line of sight, the type of device/laptop on the receiving end, interference sources; the list goes on.
Generally laptops will receive a wireless signal much more efficiently than a smartphone, eg an iPhone, this due to the type of antennas used in these devices.

How can I increase my wireless range?
There are many ways to increase your wireless range, one of the best way's of doing this is to use an outdoor high power directional access point. When mounted in a good high up location outdoors, these have the potential
to cover an entire block. We recommend using a power over ethernet high power access point such as the TP-Link TL-WA5210G or Ubiquiti NanoStation2.
Please see the following retailers for purchasing:

Depending on where the device is going to be positioned/mounted, a long ethernet/network cable may be needed.

My hotspot is not working, no one can connect, what should I do?
Ok the first thing to try in this scenario is cycling the power on both your broadband modem and your hotspot. Simply turn both off for 30 seconds at the power source and then switch back on again. Also check all the cables; believe
it or not some people never check any of their cables. Wait about two minutes and then try to browse a website. In most cases the problem will now be fixed and you should be directed to our login page. However if you are still
having problems, it could mean your broadband connection is down or having problems.

Hotspot Users:

How do I connect and login to a hotspot?
You will need a WiFi enabled device, eg a laptop, smartphone, or tablet. These are all capable of utilising our service. Look for "Zappie" followed by the Venue name in the wireless network name or "ssid", eg "Zappie @ Allenby
Park Hotel" please make sure your wireless networking settings are set to automatic or "DHCP". When you connect you should be redirected to our login page, you can login using either a prepaid voucher, passcode, or an account
loaded with credit.

How much does it cost to use the internet at a hotspot?
Prepaid account topup's start at $5.00 for 200MB with no time limits or credit expiry. Standard WiFi passes
start at $3.00 for 1hr/100MB,
there are also 24 hour, 7 day, and 30 day passes available, each with decent megabyte quotas so you can do more than just "basic web browsing" and not
have that skype call cut off in under 5 minutes.

Is free WiFi provided at any hotspots?
Some of our zones do provide free WiFi if the zone operator has enabled the option. If this is the case, all you need to do accept the terms and conditions then you will be connected, please note there will be a daily limit.

What payment methods are available?
We accept Visa and MasterCard via our online credit card facility. You will be emailed a receipt after each successful transaction. Alternatively most venues will accept cash payment over the counter for a prepaid voucher.

Can I use Skype, watch YouTube, or use other high bandwidth websites?
You certainly can, and it will not cost you a fortune to do so, we have designed our system with such services in mind. However please be aware we do
not tolerate copyright infringement, please stop any peer to peer programs before logging in, our system is capable of detecting such programs trying to connect and you may be disconnected without refund.

How secure is Zappie WiFi?
We have taken a number of measures to protect users. All our hotspots are locked down with a firewall and also include client isolation. We also encrypt all our login pages and purchase forms with secure sockets layer (SSL),
you should see "https" in your address bar.

I am having trouble sending email, what can be wrong?
This is probably happening because you are using an email client, eg Outlook to send and receive your email, most of the time these email clients will be setup to send email through your ISP's outgoing mail server, some ISP's
block access to their outgoing mail servers from clients connecting from other networks but their own. The best way around this is to use your ISP's webmail, nearly all ISP's provide a webmail service. Alternatively you can try
enabling "SMTP Authentication" in your email clients outgoing server settings, sometimes this also works.

I am having problems connecting and or logging in, what can be wrong?
This could be due to a number of reasons, eg. internet service provider issues at your venue, problems with your settings and or device. If you can see the Zappie login page it means the internet connection at your venue is
working correctly. Make sure you also have enough wireless signal, and remember that your network settings should be set to automatic or "DHCP". If you have access to another device, try using that device instead. If you can see
the Zappie login page but can not login, check that your password is correct, passwords are case sensitive. The system will also tell you if you have insufficient data/time remaining when you attempt to login.

I have forgotten my username or password for my Zappie account.
You will need to click the "Forgotten username or password" link on the login page, you be required to provide the last four digits and expiry of the credit card used to purchase the last top-up, plus you will also need to provide
your full name and email address, if our system gets a match on the information provided you will be automatically logged in and given the option to reset your password. If you have never purchased any account top-up's
then you will need to signup again for a new account.

I have lost my internet access voucher or passcode.
If you obtained an internet access voucher directly from staff at your venue then unfortunately it can not be replaced if lost. If you purchased a passcode directly from our website using your credit card, then you will need
to click the "Forgotten passcode" link on the login page, you will be required to provide the last four digits and expiry of your credit card and also your email address, if our system gets a match on the information provided you
will be given a list of your passcode(s) and given the option to login.

I purchased a voucher/WiFi pass or topped up my account but it depleted very quickly.
This is most likely as a result of applications/services running on your computer/device and using large amounts of megabytes. Please check that you do not have any peer to peer programs running, if you run these programs you
risk being disconnected without refund. If you have just recently purchased your computer or had it serviced/repaired, then a large number of operating system updates could be consuming your megabytes. If you are using skype
or watching YouTube, please make sure you purchase a voucher/top up your account with enough megabytes to suit the amount of time you intend to use these services.

How do I logout? Will logging out preserve any remaining credit?
You can logout by clicking the "Logout" link under "My Account" top right corner after you have logged in. If you have closed the Zappie website or navigated away after logging in, then you can type
www.zappie.net/stop.php in your address bar to logout.